Look! We got an insurance check.

A four-alarm blaze ripped through the building in June. (CBS San Francisco)

Well, at least there wasn’t a giant cardboard check involved.

Port officials held a rather odd and sparsely attended press conference Wednesday to highlight receiving a $2 million initial insurance payment to help repair fire-damaged Pier 29.

It’s not like this was winning the lottery or something. It was an insurance payment. In fact, the most excited that attendees got was when an Artemis Racing boat preparing for upcoming America’s Cup exhibition matches sailed past in the background.

But Pier 29 is part of the big triangular pier at the base of Telegraph Hill that will serve as the spectator village for the America’s Cup races in 2013, and apparently insurance carriers usually don’t pay out so quick.

“That’s pretty true, except for our company,” said Alan Perron, a senior vice president for Lexington Insurance, part of AIG.

Port Executive Director Monique Moyer said she wanted to publicly acknowledge the speedy help, which comes as the city is racing to repair damage from the accidental June 20 fire to have the facility ready for next summer’s regatta.

“It’s about crediting the insurance company for doing something unheard of,” Moyer said. “In the port’s past, typically we’ve had multi-year discussions with the insurer before the policy is honored. … They have really moved forward very robustly. I’ve never seen that happen before.”

The $2 million is an initial payment. Damage to the World World War I-era pier was initially estimated at about $2.4 million, but the full cost still isn’t known as issues like lead-based paint removal and historic reconstruction are factored in, insurance officials said.